Leeds 2023 is at risk of becoming a damp squib due to Town Hall farrago - Yorkshire Post Letters

It is difficult to disagree with the Tory Group Leader of Leeds City Council's "Damp Squib" warning regarding the Leeds Year of Culture 2023. There is simply not enough public awareness, even among Leeds residents, other than those involved in grassroots activities and events.

I have seen just one bus decked out in Leeds 2023 branding, but no street banners or flags to grab the attention and capture the imagination.

A lack of large-scale headline musical events, caused by the closure of Leeds Town Hall, is the most significant critical factor. The memorable exception being Opera North and Phoenix Dance Theatre's production of Requiem: Journeys of the Soul, at Leeds Grand Theatre.

When the Town Hall's "once in a lifetime" refurbishment was announced, the project was promised for completion before the start of 2023.

Alright, so the pandemic caused an unavoidable delay of six months. But since then, delay has been piled on delay. Leeds Town Hall is now expected to open "in 2025" - presumably the end of.

I understand that some contracts have not been let and that refurbishment work is currently at a virtual standstill. The effects of inflation on delayed contracts will surely impact the final cost of this project.

Meanwhile, the Concerto Finals of the 2024 Leeds International Piano Competition are moving to Bradford. Since November 2021, Orchestral concerts have been airbrushed from the Leeds musical landscape, apart from those provided by the city's enterprising amateur orchestras. The Leeds Year of Culture 2023 now has a sticky Damp Squib label attached.

The public surely deserves an explanation for this farrago.

Why is a £16m refurbishment of Leeds Town Hall taking nearly as many years as it took the Victorians (from 1853-58) to build the place? Why were alternative venues for at least some orchestral and choral concerts not put in place prior to the Town Hall's closure?

There is still time to rescue the situation. The Corn Exchange, Leeds Minster and other architectural treasures could yet offer exhilarating performance opportunities.